From Ron's Cookbook
by Thomas Linquist
Summary: We all know that Ron Stoppable is one bon-diggety good cook. How about a peek at what he does in the kitchen that gets him that reputation?
1. Possible Pasta Night

Every now and then, every teenager is expected to take on a few extra duties around the house. With more and more families having both parents working, getting supper on the table means either ordering take-out, or the oldest child learning how to cook. After seeing Kim's performance in home-ec, I think it's safe to say the the twins would be safer with the former. Sometimes though, simple ingredients can make for healthy meals.

* * *

**Possible Pasta Night**

Kim pulled the lines on her parachute taut. With the accuracy that had become habit, she landed squarely on target. As she gathered the silk, Ron landed a few feet away. Over the years, he'd gotten better. He hadn't gotten caught in a tree in a long time. That afternoon, he even managed to land on his feet and step out from under the canopy.

"Good landing, Ron. I told you we'd make better time if we didn't wait for the pilot to get the plane down."

He gave her a scathing look.

"KP, you are an adrenaline junkie, you know that don't you? You insist on jumping out of a perfectly good airplane, even when we aren't in a rush."

Kim just laughed. For all that he complained she knew that he would follow her anywhere. He was far more competent than he let on. Deep down, she suspected that he enjoyed the thrills of their lifestyle as much as she did. He insisted on going on the fastest rides at the Middleton Days fair. Even if they did leave him 'crummy in the tummy'.

The teens stuffed the equipment into the packs and took off their helmets. Another mission successfully completed, they had jumped into the Possible back yard. It was too late to go back to school, so they would just pick up missed assignments from the teachers the next day.

Walking into the kitchen through the back door, they were hit with total silence. As a rule, Anne Possible was home early in the afternoon, to meet her children when they got back from school. Being a surgeon, she was pretty flexible in her hours. James was able to take time as he needed, except when under tight deadlines, as he was now with the new communications satellite in testing at the space center. Today, the place was empty. The light on the answering machine was blinking. Kim walked over and hit the recall button, putting her helmet on the counter.

"Beeeep. Kimmie, it's Mom. I have an emegency patient in the recovery room and won't make it home for some time. If you get there before the boys, would you make supper for them? They've had pizza twice in the last ten days. You know how I am about proper meals. If you don't get back before them, I've left a message telling them to go to Ron's house. Beeeep."

Kim looked around the kitchen in a panic. She was hoping that maybe there was something out to put in the microwave. After a moment, she remembered that her mother had said an emergency patient was delaying her. That meant that dinner was not planned.

"Oh, snap. What am I going to do, Ron? The tweebs won't touch anything I make." She sat down and frowned at her own inadequacy. The girl who could do anything was still not comfortable with a chef's knife in her hand.

"Look, KP, why don't you go ahead and get cleaned up, and let me look around? There's half an hour before Jim and Tim get home. I can have something going before then. You can leave it with me." The Possible's were like a second family to him, so helping out around the house was nothing new. Besides, the twins thought his cooking was even better than PJ Bearymores Pizza.

"Please and thank you, Ron. You really rock." Kim leaned over and gave her best friend a quick peck on the cheek. "I'll make sure there are towels and soap in the spare bathroom, and you can shower before supper." Fortunately, they both had extra clothes stashed all over in case of a mission emergency. Theoretically, they could change anywhere.

While Kim went upstairs, Ron walked over and scrubbed his hands at the kitchen sink, rolling his sleeves up to his elbows. He then went to the source of culinary inspiration, the pantry. Opening the doors, his gaze went over the organized boxes and cans. With a practiced eye, he put the contents of the cupboard into a subliminal program, and decided on a quick and easy dish that would fill the family up, and make the least possible mess.

A box of fettuccine, two cans of cream of mushroom soup and powdered parmigiana cheese went onto the counter. Looking in the freezer, Ron pulled out two chicken breast fillets, putting the package next to the other ingredients. Without looking, he opened the lower cabinet next to the range and got out the largest pot, which he then filled with water. He started a good amount of water boiling and put the chicken in.

While the chicken was cooking, he put the colander into the sink, ready for the pasta when its turn in the pot came.

Just as he was getting ready to pull the chicken from the water, Jim and Tim walked in from the front hall.

"Ola boys. How are the twin terrors this afternoon?"

Both boys dumped their books on the table.

"Hi, Ron. Is Mom or Dad not home to make supper tonight? We're both..." Tim began.

"Starving. Even Kim's cooking would be good at this point." Jim finished.

"Almost." both added.

"Nice, tweebs, real nice!" Kim walked into the room, running a brush through her auburn mane. She looked at the items on the counter. "One of these days you'll appreciate just how hard cooking can be. So what do you have in the pot there Ron?"

"Chicken, and it's time to take it out." Reaching into the boiling water with a pair of tongs, he matched action to words, putting the fillets into the colander and running cold water over them. While they cooled, he deftly measured out a generous helping of fettuccine and put it into the water, which was still boiling hard.

"KP, would you and the guys watch this while I have a quick shower? I hate being in a kitchen in sweaty mission clothes."

"I don't know, Ron." Kim looked at the pasta dubiously. "How do I know when it's done?"

"Oh, man. Don't leave us alone with her at the stove!" both twins cried.

"It's not that hard, KP. You just stir it once in a while until it's soft and tender to bite." Looking into her somewhat panicked eyes, he continued. "It'll need at least ten minutes. I'll be out of the shower by then. And don't listen to the nay sayers over there, you can do it. Have a little faith."

With that, Ron handed over a pasta spoon and went out in search of some hot water and a bar of soap.

Several minutes later, Ron stepped back into the room, his usual brown shirt on his back and rumpled hair still damp on his head. Looking around, he assured himself that the kitchen was still standing. and went to look into the pot that Kim was so carefully monitoring.

"Well, how does it look, Kim.?"

"It seems to be about half way there. Do you want to take over again?"

"Nope, I'm gonna stand back and guide you through the rest of this dish."

"Oh, Ron, are you sure that's a good idea." She looked out to the living room, where her brothers were playing a video game.

"Trust me, KP, this meal is simple." He walked up to the sink and retrieved the now cool chicken breasts. He placed them on a clean cutting board and took a sharp knife out of the block. He put it in his friend's hand and placed his fingers over hers.

"Your going to cut the chicken into fine strips. Hold the knife firmly in your fingers, and keep the tip on the board. Push the meat through with the fingertips of your other hand." He guided her hands though the motions of slicing the chicken. As he did so, he eased in behind her, all the while speaking soft words of encouragement in her ear. He watched over her shoulder as the knife easily cut up the cooked fillets.

When they were done, Ron took the knife from her and put it in the sink.

"The pasta is definitely ready, Kim. Slip on the oven mitts and dump it into the colander over here. Be careful, it's really hot." Steam rose from the sink as Kim slowly strained the fettuccine. She put the pot on a cool burner as Ron turned off the one it had been resting on.

"Alright, what's next?"

"Just open the cans of soup and put them into the pot. When that has started cooking on low heat, put the pasta back in, and add the chicken." Kim got the contents of both cans into the pot and set the empty tins aside. The colander was dumped back onto the pot and the chicken put on top of it all.

"Good, KP. Now just stir that all up, and add a little bit of pepper." He handed her the shaker from the counter.

"Okay, Ron, now what do I do?"

"You lean out into the hall, like this and shout. 'Jim! Tim! Wash up and come eat!"

"That's it?"

"Yep. Told you it was easy."

While the twins were getting cleaned up, Ron and Kim set the table in the kitchen with plates and forks. The powdered cheese was set in the middle of the table, along with a pitcher of juice and a loaf of bread.

"See, KP. You can cook, you just need the right recipe and a little confidence."

**Notes and Recipe**

I put this dish together because I needed a quick dish one night that wouldn't use up every piece of cookware in the apartment. It is very simple, yet tasty and very filling. Cooking doesn't have to be so difficult. Ron Stoppable may be a whiz with fancy dishes, but every good cook has to start somewhere. Use your imagination. I had Ron make enough to serve Mr. and Mrs. Possible when they got home. Reheats well.

Ingredients

1 frozen chicken breast (boneless and skinless preferred)

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 handful of fettuccine or enough of your favorite pasta to serve two to four.

pepper to taste

parmigiana cheese

As Ron did, boil the frozen chicken until thoroughly cooked, should take about twenty minutes. Make sure that it is well done. Remove from water and cool in colander or strainer. Add pasta to water that chicken was cooked in. While pasta is cooking, slice chicken into thin strips. Drain pasta and empty soup into pot. When heated, return pasta and chicken. Mix well. Serve with parmigiana cheese. Goes well with garlic bread or Caesar salad.


	2. Mother's Day Breakfast, Stoppable Style

Another installment from the cookbook of Ron Stoppable. With Mother's Day just past, I thought it would be nice to write a little something in honour of the day. I apologize for not submitting this before the day itself. Maybe keep it in mind for next year. Why don't we skip ahead a few years, when Ron has left for college, and Hanna is now the child of the household?

As usual, Disney owns all of these characters. Thanks to all who have responded so positively to this newest story line.

* * *

**Mother's Day Breakfast, Stoppable Style**

It was a quiet Sunday morning in the Stoppable house. The sun streamed in through the living room windows, making patterns on the hardwood floors and bringing out the colors in Jean's favorite cushions on the couch. The deadbolt on the front door clicked back, and the door opened to admit Ron, carrying a duffel bag of clothing.

As he put the bag down, his Mystical Monkey instincts told him to brace himself. There was a blur from the stairs, as Hanna slid down the banister, leaping off at the bottom. She launched herself at her big brother with the energy only a four year old ninja could possibly possess. Ron caught her purely by reflex, and hugged her to him.

"Hey there, you little monkey girl!" he greeted her. He began to tickle her on her belly, and she giggled and squirmed all over, batting at his hands.

"Ronnie, you're home! I waited and waited for you." She bounced up and down in his arms.

Ron had moved to a dorm at Upperton University that fall, after commuting back and forth for his first two years. He hadn't wanted to miss a single moment of young Hanna's childhood. The girl who had begun her tenure as the pest and intruder was now a major part of his life. He was as protective of her as Mr. Dr. P had been of Kim at that age. Now he came home at every opportunity, sometimes bringing his girlfriend and partner, Kim, with him. They would both play with Hanna for hours on end.

"That's right, and I'm home for the whole summer." He put his little sister down and led her into the kitchen. "And it's a special day too. Do you know what day it is?"

"Mother's Day!" the little girl squealed in joy.

"That's right, and we are going to make it a good one for mommy, aren't we?"

Ron started the coffee going and got Hanna a glass of juice. She sat on one of the tall stools at the kitchen island.

"What are we going to do, Ronnie?"

"We're going to make her breakfast and serve it to her in bed. Every kid has to do that at least once. You might as well learn how to do it now." He reached into the cabinet and pulled out a large metal mixing bowl. "What do you say to pancakes?"

"Pancakes, pancakes!" Hanna sang, clapping her little hands together.

Ron got out the canister of flour, a can of baking powder, milk, butter and eggs. Hanna stood up on her stool and spun the spice rack around. Without even waiting for it to stop, Ron picked out the jars of cinnamon and nutmeg. It was a game he had learned from Master Lunch Lady at Yamanouchi. From the pantry, he pulled out a bottle of vanilla extract.

"What will it be, my faithful assistant, blueberries or banana?"

"Berries!" She hopped down from her place and ran to the fridge. Reaching up, she pulled on the handle, and opened the door. She pulled out the blueberries that were sitting on the bottom shelf and took them over to Ron. He picked her up and she set them on the counter.

"Thank you, Hanna. You are getting to be such a big girl now. Pretty soon you'll be doing this on your own." He gave her a little squeeze and tweaked her nose. That sent her into yet another fit of giggles. He placed her back down on her stool.

Ron measured two cups of flour into the bowl. This was followed by a tablespoon of the butter and a teaspoon of baking powder. An equal amount of cinnamon and nutmeg (about a teaspoon of each) quickly followed, along with two teaspoons of sugar.

"Okay, Hanna, what goes in next?"

"Eggs." the little girl said, opening the carton. She carefully picked two of the eggs out and passed them to her brother. He amused her by juggling them. With years of ninja training, he had gotten good at handling things, that and the dangerous devices he always seemed to wind up holding when on missions with his girlfriend. He deftly cracked them against the side of the bowl and emptied the shells into the mix. The shells themselves went into a compost bucket kept under the sink.

A cup of milk was measured out and poured over the dry ingredients. A tablespoon of the vanilla extract followed.

"Okay, little ninja girl, time to work your arm." Ron placed the bowl in front of Hanna and gave her a long wooden spoon. She swung it over her head like a katana a couple of times, and then slid it home into the ingredients before her. Using both hands, she stirred with all her might, combining everything. When it seemed to be too thick, Ron added a little more milk.

After several minutes of mixing, the batter was smooth, and was just thick enough to pour slowly off of the spoon.

"So, what makes blueberry pancakes?"

"The berries?"

"Right you are, Hanna!" He handed her the box that she had taken from the refrigerator. "You just pour in these until I tell you to stop." He took the spoon from her and folded in the blueberries as she slowly dumped them into the batter. When about three quarters of a cup were in the mixture, he told her to stop.

"This is the part a grown up has to do, Hanna. In a few years, I'll show you how to do this." Ron pulled the griddle out of the cupboard and plugged it into a convenient outlet. He adjusted the temperature so that it would be hot enough to cook quickly, but not burn the cakes.

"Promise?" Hanna asked, looking up at him from under raven bangs that reminded him of his good friend, Yori.

"Promise!" he replied.

When the appliance was hot enough, he ladled a good amount of batter onto the surface. Another went next to it, so that there was space between them. After a while, a wonderful aroma rose from the griddle. It began to bubble around the edges.

"Time to turn them?"

"No, not yet. When the whole top is bubbles, then we can flip them over. If we do it too soon, they'll fall apart or splatter." Hanna leaned over to where she could watch them cook, but not so close that she would burn herself.

When the cakes were beginning to bubble in the center, Ron carefully slid the spatula under the first one. With a quick motion of the wrist, developed with practice, he flipped the pancake over, revealing the golden color of the bottom. The second cake went over just as smoothly.

Ron timed the rest of the cooking, figuring about five minutes would be enough to cook the pancakes through. To be certain, he poked one with a fork, and smiled when it showed a fluffy interior. He removed the cakes from the griddle and put them onto a warm plate, which he covered with a large pot lid. Two more cakes went on the griddle and were cooked the same way.

When the batter was all used up, the bowl went into the sink, along with the measuring spoons and other utensils.

Ron set up a tray with the plate of pancakes, a cup of the hot coffee and a small bowl of maple syrup on the side. He carefully walked up the stairs. Hanna tip toed behind him, carrying a bud vase with a single rose in it. Approaching the master bedroom with the silence born of sneaking into lairs, they knocked softly on the door.

Mr. Stoppable opened it for them.

"Happy Mother's Day!" Hanna shrieked.

They served their mother her breakfast, and kissed her affectionately.

"Now for the rest of the gift, Hanna." Ron said, taking her hand.

"What rest?"

"We go downstairs and clean up the mess that we made."

**Author's Notes and Recipe**

It took me a while to get this one out. My apologies to all of the mothers out there who missed out on breakfast in bed.

You have to be very careful about the temperature of the pan or skillet when making pancakes. Too hot and they burn to cinder. Too cool and they burn on the outside and are raw on the inside.

I like to serve pancakes with a side of fresh fruit, sliced to convenient bite sizes.

Ingredients

Two cups of flour

One tablespoon of baking powder

Two teaspoons of sugar

One teaspoon each of nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla extract

One cup of milk (more if needed)

Two eggs

3/4 cups of blueberries

Put all of the dry ingredients into a large bowl. Add the two eggs and vanilla extract, fold in until eggs are thoroughly mixed. Add the milk and stir until batter is smooth. You may need to add more milk to get the right consistency. It should be fairly thick, just able to run out of the bowl. While folding the batter, add the blueberries.

Pancakes cook and flip best if they are about four or five inches in diameter. Remember not to touch them until they are bubbling all across the top. It takes practice to get the perfect flip. Don't be intimidated, just have fun.


	3. Gaming, Ground Beef and Girls

Standard Disclaimer: Kim Possible characters are not mine. Everything else is or I have the rights to it.

* * *

**Gaming, Ground Beef and Girls**

"Come on, I said 'Jump, kick, not jump, turn kick!"

Ron mashed his fingers on the buttons of his game controller, trying desperately to mash the monsters before they killed him. He wasn't having a whole lot of luck. Monster Mayhem III was due to come out in a few weeks, and here he sat, still wrestling with the cheat codes of the second installment. Of course, it didn't help that his best buddy was sitting in his chair as cool as a cucumber, knocking down zombies like there was no tomorrow.

"Sure, Ron." Felix grinned down at his friend. "And I bet the next thing you're going to say is that you need a new controller." Every time Ron Stoppable came over for these little gaming sessions, it was always the same thing. Ron would try to hide his cheat code sheet, and blame the equipment when things just didn't go his way. Of course, winning didn't really mean that much to him, but he put on the show anyway. Felix Renton thought that his best friend was maybe just a little touched in the head sometimes.

"I think you and the machine have an agreement of some kind. After all, with all that cyber tech in your chair, you must speak the same language."

Where most people reacted with degrees of embarrassment or discomfort around Felix, due to his being in a wheelchair, Ron was at home with it all. From the day that they met, he had just treated Felix as any other guy, neither apologetic nor pitying. Of course, when your motto is "never be normal", maybe you just get more laid back about things. All things considered, it had worked out, finding Ron Stoppable for a best friend when his mom got transferred to the Middleton Space Center. At least there had been one person he could just be himself around.

"Look, why don't we just take a breather and rest up the wrists for a while? I don't know about you, but I'm starved." Felix hit the pause button, and threw his controller onto the coffee table beside him. "Just no more junk food. Pizza is really starting to get old."

Rufus looked up from the cushions of the couch, where he sat next to Ron. He rolled his eyes and stuck out his tongue. "Pizza, icky." he squeaked. Normally, the naked mole rat loved the pies from the local take out place, but after several days, it quickly lost its appeal. He was craving something with fresh cheese. Or maybe something with a few veggies to go with the protein.

"Fine by me, Felix. Let's take a tour through the kitchen, and I'll see if I can't pull something together." Picking up his little buddy, he got up off of the chair and strolled through the Renton dining room and into the kitchen. He glanced at the pile of pizza boxes on the table, and quickly shoved them into a large recycling bin. "I'll break those down and get rid of them properly later." Looking at the clock, he noticed that it wasn't too much longer before supper. "What time is your mom due back from work? It's almost five-thirty now."

"Well, she put in a lot of overtime in the last couple of weeks, so she should be home by seven. Why do you ask?" Felix rolled into the room after his friend. He had a good idea what was going on under that unruly blond mop of hair.

"Might as well make a decent meal. It's cold out there, and I think the lovely Mrs. Renton deserves something hot and comforting when she comes back." In fact, it was approaching ten below outside. That was the main argument for sitting around playing video games on a Friday afternoon.

"Your really spread it on a little thick with the ladies, don't you?"

"And yet I still can't seem to get anyone to take interest. Maybe it's the deodorant I use." Ron joshed back.

Rufus hopped off of his friend's shoulder and landed on a convenient chair. He put his hand over his whiskered nose and nodded. He then proceeded to laugh so hard that he fell from the chair.

Felix quickly pressed a button on the arm of his chair, and a cybernetic hand reached out and caught the little rodent, and placed him back on the seat.

"Hnk, thank you." Rufus said to the young man.

"No problem, little buddy. Just be more careful where you take a laughing fit."

All this while, Ron had been searching around the room, looking for meal possibilities. So far it was promising. Ground beef thawed in the fridge, celery, onions and garlic in the crisper drawer. Cans of corn and tomato soup in the cupboards. Oh yeah. Now all he needed... and there were the potatoes. Time to get a little creative.

"Okay boys, let's get to work. Felix, I need a casserole dish, preferably 9x13. Rufus, hop over here and find the spices for a shipwreck casserole, mucho pronto please little buddy." He grabbed a frying pan from the rack over the island work station in the middle of the room. He pulled a knife from the drawer and set the pan on the cook top. He laid out the onions, garlic and celery next to the cutting board. A little oil went into the pan. When Felix put the Pyrex dish on the counter, Ron handed him a vegetable peeler and a two large potatoes.

"What exactly is shipwreck casserole? I would have thought it would involve seafood of some kind." With careful strokes, Felix started peeling the spuds.

"It's more of a dish made up of whatever you can find on hand. You know, as if you were shipwrecked and had to make do." He began to chop half of the onion and turned the heat on under the frying pan. When the oil was hot, he put the onions in, enjoying the sizzle that came from it. He placed a clove of garlic on the cutting board and smacked it with the broad side of the blade. The peel easily came away.

"It's a good hot meal, and has a lot of the good stuff they keep telling us to eat in health class." The garlic went into the hot oil. The aromas started to fill the kitchen.

"Okay, the potatoes are ready, whatever you plan to do with them." Felix rolled over and put the peeler into the dishwasher.

Ron grabbed a clean cloth and wiped off the blade of the chef's knife he was using. "They'll get sliced super thin, and then you will lay them out on the bottom of the casserole dish. You can get that ready while I finish the rest. Oh, and would you preheat the oven to 400 degrees, please." Meanwhile, the potatoes were being turned into slices less than an eight of an inch thick. Not once did Ron take his eyes off of his hands.

By this time, the onions and garlic had turned a golden brown. He unwrapped the lean ground beef and added the whole pound of it to the pan. The heat was turned down to about half, so that the meat would brown without burning. Stirring it occasionally, he added spices as Rufus handed him the bottles. A sprinkle of pepper was followed by a half teaspoon's worth of poultry seasoning and the same of chili powder. A tiny shake of the oregano jar and the smells became mouth watering.

"Where do you come up with this stuff, Ron?" Felix took over the task of watching the pan while Ron went to work slicing the celery. The cleaned blade flashed as it made short work of two stalks of the greenery. Ron used the wide blade as a scoop and added the celery to the mix. He opened the can of corn and stirred that in for good measure.

"This one was something I read in a book once. I can't remember which one, but the heroine was a farmer's wife, and she needed to feed a hungry family with only what was available." He turned off the burner and took the pan off. Dumping the whole load over the potatoes, and spread it out evenly. "It's not always easy to feed a family on a tight budget. We've always been pretty lucky here in Middleton."

Felix opened the can of soup, and Ron poured it over the entire dish. He followed that with half a can of water. From a canister on the counter next to the fridge, he grabbed a handful of rice, and sprinkled it over the top of the casserole.

"Hnk, cheese!" Rufus did the mole rat equivalent of a PDP. With huge teeth, the lip just wouldn't do it, but the eyes more than pulled off the desired effect.

"What have you got in the way of cheese, Felix. The little guy isn't going to be happy unless there is something bubbling on top of this." He poked the rodent in the belly with an index finger as the other boy rolled over to the fridge and pulled out a block of marble cheddar. Finding a grater, he handed both to Ron, who shredded a good amount over top of everything in the dish. He slid it into the oven.

"Okay, we just wait for about forty-five minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked through."

In the meantime, the two young men put on a pot of coffee and sat at the kitchen table.

"You never told me why you're here on a Friday night. Isn't this usually your 'Kim night'?" While he wasn't really jealous of the relationship that his friend had with Kim Possible, it really did eat into the amount of time that they could spend together as guys. On the other hand, he did envy how close they seemed to be.

"Well, it's not like we have an official, 'Kim and Ron' night. Besides, she had to work on a project with some of the girls from the yearbook committee." He looked down at the table for a minute. "I'm not exactly sure just how good it is that I spend so much time with Kim. Maybe that's why I can't seem to get anywhere with the ladies. They think that we're a couple or something."

"Is that such a bad thing, Ron? I mean, maybe you should think about it. She's pretty, she's smart, she's popular, and she likes you for you. I don't think you are ever going to find another girl with so much going for her." Felix had known both Ron and Kim for several months now, and knew that they belonged together.

"It's not like I haven't thought about it. Remember when I broke my arm in that fight in Go City? I didn't think of anything. All I knew was that Kim was in serious trouble, and I wasn't going to let anything happen to her." He turned a little red. "After that, we've spent time together, but it's awkward. I keep remembering the moodulator incident. Does she like me, or is it just something left from that?"

Rufus just looked at his friend and shook his head. All of this doubt was going to drive him to the mole rat equivilent of the funny farm. He had hoped that by now the two would have realized what they meant to each other. What was it going to take, the end of the world as we know it?

"What about you, Felix? I haven't exactly seen you out and about with a lovely on your arm lately. You seem to be able to spend a Friday night with me."

"Well, there is one girl from school that I really like, but she doesn't even know I exist. I don't know if it's me or the chair." For the first time since they had met, Felix looked uncomfortable with his disability. "She is so into this whole 'foodchain' thing. I can't even bring myself to talk to her."

"I know, but Bonnie is a good person, you just have to dig deep to find her under that front she puts up."

"How..."

"Come on, guy! I just look like a goof, I've got eyes. Bonnie Rockwaller comes into a room and you start to glaze over."

At that point, Mrs. Renton came into the room from the garage. Both of them had been so intent on the conversation, they hadn't even noticed the time go by or the garage door open. "Hi boys, why the serious faces?"

"It's guy stuff, Mom."

Ron got up and went to the oven, and poked a long handled fork into the casserole. Felix took his mother's coat and hung it up. "Supper will be ready in just a few minutes Mrs. Renton."

When the table had been set, they all sat down to a hot meal. Ron and Felix each considered what they had been discussing before they were interrupted.

* * *

**Recipe and Authors Notes**

Thank you for bearing with me in this story. A lot of my work seems to be tying into each other. Is this a good or a bad thing? I've tied this into my "Week in the Pocket".

Shipwreck Casserole

Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground beef

1/2 medium onion

1 or 2 cloves of garlic

2 stalks of celery

2 large potatoes

1 teaspoon each of pepper, chili powder, poultry seasoning

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1 can of corn (I prefer to use 1 cup frozen mixed vegetables. Use your imagination.)

Handful of rice

1 can tomato soup

1/2 cup shredded marble cheddar

In a large frying pan, brown chopped onion and finely chopped garlic. Add your spices. When onions and garlic are golden, add ground beef and brown. Chop celery and add to browning beef, then add vegetables. Peel and wash the potatoes, then slice very thin. Layer potatoes in bottom of casserole dish. Cover with mix from the frying pan. Sprinkle the rice over the top of that. Pour tomato soup and 1/2 can of water over all, and then spread grated cheese. Bake 45 minutes or until a fork easily goes through the layer of potatoes.


	4. Soup for Sarah

Yet another chapter, drawn from another story.

The usual disclaimers regarding ownership apply. Disney blah blah blah.

* * *

**Soup for Sarah**

Ron Stoppable knocked on the door of his girlfriend's apartment. He was soaked to the skin from the sudden downpour he had endured on the way to do a little grocery shopping. Knowing what this weather would do to the average person, he had made some additions to the usual list. It was time to show Kim just how he had developed the "impenetrable fortress of the Stoppable immune system." Only once had it failed him. With rather ironic results.

Kim opened the door.

"What do you think you are doing, going out in the rain dressed like that?" She grabbed her boyfriend and dragged him into the foyer of her apartment. Taking the reusable bags from him, she deposited them on the kitchen table and ran into the bathroom. She returned with a large, fluffy bath towel. She watched as Ron stripped off his soaking shirt, revealing the muscle that he had developed over the last year, working out to improve his martial arts skills.

He had just finished with his hair when he reached into his cargo pants pocket and pulled out a small shivering pink body. "Don't think I forgot about you, Rufus! One of these days we are going to have to get you a little raincoat." Taking a dry corner of the towel, he rubbed his little friend all over, then took him over to a warm dry corner of the couch in the living room. "You rest there until you warm up, buddy."

"I'll put on a pot of tea for the two of you. I already have the coffee going." Naturally. Kim practically lived with a mug of coffee in her hand, with finals only a few weeks off, she was cramming every other night. When missions didn't get in the way. "I know you said you were going to pick up a few things to make up for while we are studying, but isn't that a little much?" She pointed to the four bags on the table. She was so grateful that her boyfriend was such a spankin' good cook, she didn't have to grab the stuff that the dining hall at Upperton University called food.

"When the temperature dropped and the rain started falling, I figured I'd better get some stuff together. The last thing you need is a cold, right before the big sociology final. Remember how tired you were when we got back from Rodigon?" She had been burning the midnight oil after that last mission, trying to put together a paper about governmental change. She had paid for the next two days, sleeping until the last second, and getting by on caffeine and a sense of responsibility.

Ron grabbed the handles of two of the bags and took them over to the pantry in the corner, casually reaching in and grabbing the canister that held the tea bags. Handing it to Kim, he started putting away the dry goods that had been on Kim's list. Pasta, rice, cereal and cans of ravioli went onto the shelves. With his help, Kim had gotten to a stage in the kitchen where she could produce healthy meals without risk of burning down the building. She had even gotten to the point of enjoying what used to be her least favorite room of the home. Especially if he was sharing the space

"I bought some fresh chicken in the meat department. I'm going to make up a pot of my grandmother's chicken soup. A bowl of that, and neither of us will have to worry about another cold getting in the way of a mission, or classes." Reaching into a third bag, he pulled out a package of chicken thighs. He put them on the counter, and proceeded to pull out vegetables, which he put in the crisper in the bottom of the fridge.

"Well, you aren't doing anything until you change out of those clothes. You're getting the floors wet, and I won't have you getting sick on me before you can even start on your defense." Kim gave him a rough shove toward the bedroom. A portion of her generously large closet was given over to his mission clothes and some of his usual outfits. They spent so much time together, it made sense to have a change handy. "Go on, your tea will be ready by the time you finish up."

A couple of minutes later, Ron was dressed in dry pair of blue jeans and a dark blue polo shirt. He sipped at the mug that Kim handed him, and gave her a quick kiss.

"How are you doing, Rufus, better?"

The naked mole rat looked up from his spot on the couch. Kim had poured a tiny cup of tea for him as well, which he sipped at as if he were attending a Victorian tea party. "Hnk, better!"

Ron strolled into the kitchen, just as he would at home, and started to work. He grabbed the largest pot in the cabinet and filled it with four quarts of water. This was put on the stove and set to boiling. Unwrapping the chicken, he separated the thighs carefully and rinsed them under cold water from the faucet. Six went into the pot.

Reaching into the fridge, he grabbed an onion and a bulb of garlic. The knife flashed over the cutting board, and with his usual flair, he had diced the onion and chopped the garlic, not even having time to let the onions start making him tear up. Using the wide knife blade, he put the resulting aromatics into the pot. Turning down the heat, he put a lid on the pot, and let it all simmer.

Kim, Ron and Rufus snuggled up on the sofa. Turning on the television and the DVD player, they watched the latest Fearless Ferret movie; The Origin. Every now and then, Kim would look up and snicker at Ron, remembering him dressed up as the Ferret 2.0. He simply looked down at her, and grinned that goofy grin. Sure, he'd been pretty gullible back then.

When the movie was over, Ron helped Kim clean the few dishes that were in the sink. The simmering pot was turned off, and space made for it in the fridge, once it was cool enough.

"Rufus and I will drop by in the morning and finish up with the soup."

Kim walked her boyfriend to the door, and they kissed goodnight. Rufus pretended to gag a little, but couldn't suppress the little naked mole rat grin. It had taken forever to get these two people together, but it was worth it. He snuggled into his pocket as Ron walked out to his car, for the ride back home to his parents' house in Middleton.

Kim was just turning off the television when there was a knock at the door. Thinking that Ron must have forgotten something, she went and pushed back the deadbolt lock.

On the doorstep, dripping all over the hall carpet, was not Ron, but Shego. Her hair was matted and dull. She was dangerously thin, not that she had ever been big to begin with. She just stood there for a moment, looking down at her feet. Finally, she raised her head.

"Please, help me."

Kim drew the woman into her apartment and pulled her into a hug. After they had stopped fighting, she'd tried to keep track of Shego, and for a while, things had looked promising. Then, a few months ago, she'd dropped off the radar. Even Wade hadn't been able to find her. Now, here she was, obviously in dire straits and needing help.

After getting the older woman into a warm bath and getting the filth out of her hair and off of her pale skin, Kim tucked her into her own bed. She practically ran to the phone. Hitting number two on the speed dial, she waited until a sleepy voice answered, "Hello?"

"Mom, it's Kimmie. I need a doctor over here, and I didn't know who else to call. Shego just showed up at my apartment, and she doesn't look good at all. Please, Mom, can you come over and take a look at her? I don't dare take her to the hospital, not until I know where she has been the last six months, and what she's been doing." Kim worried that perhaps Shego had gotten into trouble with the law again. She would have Wade contact Global Justice, quietly, and find out if there were any outstanding warrants.

"You don't need to pull out the puppy-dog-pout, Kimmie. I'll get dressed and be there in half an hour. Keep her warm, and watch for shivering or signs of fever." All traces of sleepiness were gone. Her carefully honed abilities to wake up when a patient needed her were in full gear. The phone went dead as Anne Possible cut off the call and slipped out from under her blankets. James mumbled in his sleep, but didn't wake up. When you are married to a brain surgeon, you never know if they are going to be in the bed when you get up.

Anne didn't even have time to knock on the door before it was thrown back. Her daughter practically yanked her arm off pulling her into the apartment. She dropped her bag on the foyer floor and took off her coat, putting it on the coat rack.

"Mom, thank God you got here so quickly! I just didn't know what to do. I just put her in a tub of hot water and got her clean and put her in my bed. She's sleeping, but I don't like the look of her. She's too pale and too thin, even for Shego. Please tell me you can do something!" Considering how long Kim had been fighting the woman, she was very worried about her now. Of course, that was Kim Possible's nature. Every life was important.

Anne looked at her patient and checked her over. Pulse was normal, temprature was normal (though she never really woke up when the thermometer was put under her tongue) and there weren't any obvious signs of trauma. To all appearances, Shego was merely exhausted and undernourished. Taking her daughter by the elbow, Anne left the bedroom, tucking the quilt up under the sleeping woman's chin.

"She'll be alright, Kimmie. From what I can see, she's just tired and hungry. A few more days like that, and she might have been in trouble." She looked at the closed door. "I want you to watch her, let her sleep, and when she wakes up, call me and give her fluids. I don't think she'd be able to hold too much down just yet." She reached up and brushed a tear from Kim's cheek. "Don't worry, between us, I'm sure we can get her back on her feet in no time."

Kim walked her mother to the door, thanking her again for coming over in the middle of the night. She then grabbed the Kimmunicator off of her desk and hit the button that would connect her to Wade, back at his house in Middleton. It was only a moment before the young man answered.

"What's up, Kim? I was just about to shut down the laptop for the night and go to bed. Just let me know what you need, and it's yours." Wade grinned at her. Like so many computer geniuses, he was up until the wee hours, even if he was teaching over at MIST part time.

"I need you to do some quiet searching on the Global Justice system, Wade. It's Shego. I need to know if she's been spotted, or if there are any outstanding warrants on her." She couldn't just up and tell him that she was just in the next room. "I'm still worried about her."

"I'll have it for you by late tomorrow. If you want it 'quiet', I'll have to get around the security codes. At least we know who put them in place." Wade grinned at her from the small screen. " I just have to make sure Dr. Director hasn't played with the programming herself. I'll call you when I have results." The device went blank. The information was as good as found.

Kim spent some long hours on the couch, listening for any sound from the bedroom. She would not let herself doze off. At three in the morning, there was a knock on the door. Before she could get up to answer it, there was the sound of a key in the lock. Only two people had duplicates, and one of them had only just left. Ron opened the door and quietly closed it behind him.

"What's the matter, Kim? I could feel it all the way across town." There had been a strong mental connection between them ever since his MMP had come to full strength in the battle with Warhok and Warmonga. It was as if they could sense what the other was feeling, almost each others thoughts. "When I went to sleep, I saw Shego, and I could feel you being worried."

All this time, he had kept his voice down, almost as if he knew that there was somebody else in the apartment.

Rufus poked a sleepy head out of a coat pocket. He looked around. "Kim okay?" he chirped.

"Shego showed up just after you left, Ron. She's in terrible shape, and I called Mom. She seems to think that Shego will be okay if we just let her rest and feed her." Opening the bedroom door a crack, the trio looked in at her. She was just as Anne and Kim had left her, with the quilt pulled tightly up to her chin. Ron closed the door.

"I guess Grandma Stoppable's soup is going to be needed sooner than I thought." Ron looked at his girlfriend. "Here's what we'll do, we'll take it in shifts. I've slept already, so now it's your turn." He had put on his "serious face" and his tone of voice implied that no argument would change the arrangement. For the first time in her life, Kim meekly allowed herself to be put to bed.

The morning light was what woke her up. Sometime in the night, a blanket had been put over her, and a pillow slipped under her head. The welcome aroma of coffee wafted its way from the kitchen. Rubbing her eyes, she walked in that direction, and heard the fridge door closing.

"And just who decided that I didn't need to stand watch last night?" Kim glared daggers at Ron as he was putting the pot of broth back on the burner. Removing the lid, he looked into the pot, rather than her eyes.

"Kim, you did the hard part, you took in a woman who used to be your enemy. If we are going to get her back to health, you can't afford to get run down yourself." Walking over, he took her in his arms, rubbing her back. "I promised your parents that I would look after you, KP. Let me keep that promise, please." There was almost a pleading tone to his voice. It was one of his most effective weapons against her when she was angry with something he had done "for her own good."

When her muscles finally relaxed and she put her arms around his neck, he knew he'd been forgiven. He kissed her lightly on the forehead and then released her. Without looking, he reached over and grabbed the steaming mug that he had poured for her. Ron went back to the pot and pulled the chicken pieces out. Shredding the meat from the bones, he discarded the skin and cut the dark meat still further, putting about half of it back into the pot. The rest went into a resealable container for later use.

Rufus, meanwhile, had been pulling the chef's knife from the block on the counter, and put it, handle end out, on the cutting board. He then used a large spoon to skim the fat that had solidified and floated to the surface in the fridge overnight. The mole rat knew this recipe as well as Ron did, and loved to help make up a batch. When you are small and hairless, you like things that warm you up.

As Kim sipped from her coffee, she watched her boyfriend set the broth to boiling again. He reached into the crisper at the bottom of the refrigerator and pulled out two carrots and three stalks of celery. These were quickly diced and put into the pot. By now the pot was steaming again, and the aroma was starting to fill the apartment. A cup of rice followed the veggies into the soup, and it was all turned down to a simmer.

"I figured that rice would be easier on Shego's stomach than noodles."

They sat all morning, drinking coffee and worrying about the woman in Kim's bed. For all that she had tossed them around and fired her plasma bolts at them, they had a certain amount of respect for Shego. She was loyal to her employer, and always lived up to a code, albeit one that she created for herself. They traded stories of how she had done something really amazing in this fight or that. Ron confessed to calling her cute once, when fighting in Drakken's muffin bakery.

Just as the soup was finishing, there was a slight noise from the bedroom. Kim went to the door and went in. Ron headed the other direction, and prepared a bowl of soup, a hot cup of tea, and a single rose in a vase. He handed the flower to Rufus, and put everything else on the tray. He added a generous amount of pepper to the bowl, and covered it.

At that moment, the door was unlocked again, and Anne Possible walked in. Following her nose, she wandered into the kitchen. "I thought I'd find you here. You have a habit of being where you are needed the most." She peered into the pot. "And with your own brand of medicine I see." She gave the young man a brief hug.

"I was just doing a consult at the Upperton Health Centre, and thought I would check in on Shego. Since Kim isn't in the living room, I assume that _our_ patient is awake." Picking up her bag, which she had put on the hall table, she knocked lightly on the bedroom door and went in.

Ron waited to give the women some privacy. When Anne came out, he picked up his tray and he and Rufus went to the door. It was still open a crack, and they could hear what was being said on the far side.

"You have a long journey ahead of you. But I'll help you take the first step."

"As Sensei used to say, 'A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.' Time to lace up your shoes Sarah Go." He pushed the door open and sauntered into the room, balancing the tray. On his heels, Rufus entered carrying his single rose bud. "And you can't go anywhere on an empty stomach."

Ron Stoppable put the tray on the bedside table and pulled up the lid. The aroma of chicken broth hit everyone like a wave, causing all of them to take a deep breath. He took a spoon of the soup and blew on it, holding it out for Sarah to sample. The warmth hit her stomach and eased some of the cramping hollowness she had felt for so long.

"It's my grandmother's recipe. Guaranteed to cure what ails you. You don't even have to eat it to cure a cold, germs run when you mention it." Another spoonful followed, and he would have continued to feed her like an infant, if Kim hadn't intervened.

"She's a big girl now, Ron. I think she can manage a bowl of soup on her own."

"Oh, yeah, sorry about that Sarah." He had remembered her name from the days that she had spent as Miss Go, teacher and friend. In his mind, you never forget your friends, even if you do wind up fighting them for a while.

"Thank you, Ron. Not just for the soup. You just called me Sarah, like I had never spent all those years fighting with you all." She smiled at Rufus as she accepted the pink flower that he offered. For a rodent, he was something special too.

* * *

**Author's Notes and Recipe**

This chapter is written for friends of mine. They are headed off to college in a very cold and windy city. He will have access to his own kitchen for the first time, so I thought a little "Jewish Penicillin" was in order. You can substitute your favorite pasta for the rice, but when dealing with a "crummy tummy" I find rice is the best choice.

Ingredients

4 to 6 chicken thighs or drumsticks

1 medium size onion

2 or 3 cloves of garlic

2 large carrots, diced

3 stalks celery, diced

1 cup rice

Salt and pepper to taste

Start 4 quarts of water boiling in a pot. Add the chicken and then reduce to a simmer. Coarsely chop the onion and add to the pot, along with finely chopped garlic. Allow to simmer for at least 6 hours, 8 if possible. Allow to cool and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, remove the fat that has collected on the top of the broth. Bring back to a boil. When broth is boiling, remove the chicken using tongs, and cool. Add diced carrots, celery and rice. Add water if necessary to maintain at least three quarts of broth. Return half of the chicken, removed from the bones. Simmer for another three hours. Add salt and pepper to taste.


End file.
